More than 35 students tried yesterday morning to enter the first session of the Freund Committee's closed hearings. None of the three teaching fellows scheduled to come before the committee appeared at the hearing.
The cases of three teaching fellows were on the agenda: Carl D. Offner, a teaching fellow in Mathematics who has been sentenced to a year in jail for assaulting Dean Watson; Temma E. Kaplan, teaching fellow in History and Literature; and John C. Berg, teaching fellow in Government.
Deans Testify
Among those Administration officials scheduled to testify at the hearing were Dean Watson, Archie C. Epps, assistant dean of the College, and Burris Young, assistant dean of Freshmen.
The hearings were scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. in Room H on the tenth floor of Holyoke Center. When the students got to Room H, they discovered that four committee members were already inside, and had locked the door.
Fifth Member Arrives
At 9:20 a.m., Don K. Price, dean of the John Fitzgerald Kennedy School of Government and the fifth member of the committee, arrived for the hearings. He found his access blocked by the students.
Meanwhile, two University policemen were patroling outside the Committee of 15's hearing room about ten yards down the corridor. The two policemen, who were both in view of the students, ignored the crowd of students blocking Price.
Price fielded questions from the students. After 30 minutes of discussion, the students decided to leave and let the committee proceed with its business.
Paul A. Freund, Carl M. Leob Universi- ty Professor, and chairman of the committee, later claimed that "the two policemen were assigned to the whole corridor. They were aware of our presence."
But Robert Tonis, chief of the University Police, denied last night that the policemen were assigned to the whole corridor. He said that the policemen were assigned only to the Committee of 15 and that the students' blocking Price was not reported to the University Police until noon yesterday.
Tonis said that at present, the University police are not providing the Freund Committee any special protection. "The Chairman would have to request it. If he wants it, we'll furnish it," Tonis said.
Tonis said that he was not aware that the Freund Committee was meeting yesterday and that no one has informed him of ten committee's future schedule of hearings.
Price on Imperialism
In the 30 minute discussion, Price was asked why the committee had been appointed rather than elected. The students also asked Price his views on imperialism, ROTC, and expansion.